Add another name to the list for the Bears’ open offensive coordinator job. USC quarterbacks coach and senior offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury is expected to interview with the team, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Chicago's Josh Schrock. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the news.
The move is especially notable considering USC quarterback Caleb Williams is a favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.
There’s a chance that the Bears will use a potential Kingsbury interview not only to assess whether he’s fit for their OC job, but also to get some intel on Williams. The Bears have just begun their information-gathering process on Williams, Drake Maye and other quarterbacks as they decide whether or not to move on from Justin Fields this year.
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Kingsbury spent one season with the Trojans and Williams. Before that, he was the head coach for the Arizona Cardinal for four seasons. During that time he helped Kyler Murray win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and make it to three Pro Bowls. Kingsbury is also known for developing Patrick Mahomes when Kingsbury was the head coach at Texas Tech, and helping Johnny Manziel win the Heisman award in 2012 as the Texas A&M OC and QBs coach.
The Bears have largely looked at coaches from the Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay coaching trees, but Kingsbury is a departure from that trend. Kingsbury learned from Mike Leach and is closely associated with Leach’s “air raid” offense. That offense is known as a pass-first scheme that spreads the field out wide and works up-tempo. Shanahan’s and McVay’s schemes are more known for their strong run games.
The team interviewed Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Zac Robinson on Thursday, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Chicago. They reportedly requested to interview Eagles senior offensive assistant Marcus Brady on Thursday, too.
Kingsbury is now the ninth person we know of that the Bears have either interviewed or requested to interview for their OC position. For more coverage on the other candidates, click here.
